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The Two Births of Kim Jong Il: Myth vs Fact

  • April 26, 20078:40 pm PDT
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Kim Jong Il is a mysterious dictator. He's alleged to have uttered only one sentence in public, and keeps his hermit kingdom under a veil of megalomaniac lore that manages every aspect of public perception-down to the story of his birth. The truth became murky sometime in the 1980s, when Kim began publicizing a new, more illustrious version. He switched his birth date from 1941 to 1942, making him the same age for two years straight. Then he built a log cabin on the highest mountain in North Korea, proclaiming it his official birthplace and offering guided tours. Which one is real? Try a choose-your-own-birth for the modern dictator.